


Fallen

by tautochrying



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Demon trolls, Fainting, Fallen Angel, Fallen Angel Dave Strider, Fallen Angels, Forbidden lovers trope?, Lots of Crying, M/M, Pain, fallen angel AU, im gonna tag everything fight me, mention of intense burning feelings, more or less, tags will be added along the way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2018-08-30 03:53:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8517550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tautochrying/pseuds/tautochrying
Summary: It wasn't completely uncommon for angels to fall, each for their own reason of course. Some fell due to hate, some due to disloyalty. There were many reasons an angel would fall, some of them so little they could even be forgiven if the offense was minor enough. However.. there was one unforgivable way to get yourself tossed out of heaven to God knows where; loving one outside of heaven's kingdom. It was unheard of, but how could one really blame Dave for what happened. One accidental glance and he found himself infatuated, the stranger below the clouds was just so damned captivating. Even when it dawned on him this was a demon he was falling for, he couldn't even imagine himself wanting to stop.





	1. Rushing Winds

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guuuyyyys, I'm honestly more excited for this fic than any other fic I've put up so far. This is an AU inspired by lovely the-space-case's art. They even helped me with editing to get this first chapter as it is now. Anyway! I truly hope you enjoy this, I have plans for much more, so prepare.

For a couple of moments, he had no clue what was going on. He knew he'd done something wrong. There was no other way that he would have found himself falling, paralyzed, dropping down at a speed unfathomable to mankind itself. It took seconds for him to collect it all. Realizing he had been caught, he knew there was a chance of this in the first place. Realizing that he'd been kicked out, damn near literally too. He felt himself hurtling through the open space, but at the same time he was completely motionless. 

The sound of rushing air became a dull noise, the feeling of falling soon unable to mask the sheer burning feeling. It was everywhere, spreading up from his toes, his fingers, the tips of his feathers.

Dave Strider had fallen, was falling, will remain falling. He could only blankly stare up at the place he once enjoyed, the place he and his sister used to wander with one another, the place he'd spent eons. His eyes drifted shut, he let himself fall. There was no point in struggling anyway. He knew the stories, how this would go, he would die. It was inevitable. However, that wasn't exactly the case, he came to find out. The feeling in his wings came back, the adrenaline that screamed that he wanted to live cause a forceful, hazardous flap of his wings, flipping him upside down with a pained scream. He slowed his fall, just in time as well. By the time he reached the darkness and spotted the ground growing closer to him, he could feel himself gliding. It was shaky, but it was slowing his fall.

At around ten feet, he lost it, plummeting downward at a decent speed, yet it was nowhere near that which he'd been falling at mere seconds ago. He shut his eyes tightly as the ground grew closer, the burning feeling in his wings one of the main things adding up to his clenched-shut eyelids. A curled up figure of light hits the ground, wincing at the sound of his own body hitting the hard ground, locking his jaw to muffle the sound of a yelp escaping through his teeth.

Everything was dark, everything he felt consisted of pain, the burning in his feet having spread to his legs. He felt his wings burning, each sharp feeling causing his breath to hitch, his once welcoming maroon eyes glowing a dangerous crimson red the moment they shot open. It was nothing but this scorching feeling until a voice interrupted his small fit of writhing around on the cold ground.

“No,” it sounded, distant but yet close. As if someone were talking through water. The voice was quiet, broken, seeming as if it may fall into pieces with the slightest flick. Dave could hardly manage a response, hardly even realize where he was and what was talking to him.

The other’s voice sounded once more, clearer to Dave this time. Though, the sound of a shattering heart still lay behind it.

“Fuck, no, no no no. Not you, anyone but you.”

The troll fell down to his knees at the side of the bright figure, feeling his eyes well up with red tears. His voice continued reached out, almost to touch, to try and help, to see if he could do something.

At the same time, Dave's back arched with a sharp pain, his arms collapsing as he finally thudded back to the ground. He let out a loud curse, curling in on himself as he shook. The one witnessing this let out a curse of his own, scooping the other up in his arms as soon and as carefully as he could manage. Under his breath, the one holding Dave kept muttering things, things that he probably couldn't exactly share while expecting a response. How could this happen, he asked himself. Dave himself had briefly asked the same question mere moments before he knew that he’d be falling.

 _How could this happen?_ He remembered exactly why, exactly when he felt the wind start rushing by before he completely lost the ability to focus.

It started weeks, no, months ago, the scene of a boy sitting up in the clouds. His hair brushed across his face, floating up in a seemingly graceful swoop, nearly resembling the path of a breeze, swooping down and circling in a haphazard pattern. He wasn’t doing much that day, simply sitting on the edge, closer than most even dared to get. It was an odd feeling, to have one’s legs dangling over the edge, a mere shove away from falling with a threat of no return. He’d forever deny how much he thought about it. How much he thought desperately about leaving.

The thought had always eaten away at some abandoned part of his mind, shoved back where everything he knew he shouldn't think went. Leaving home, socializing with humans, everything that he wasn’t supposed to do. Curiosity is one hell of a thing; a temptation far worse than one would expect.

For hours he would sit, often letting his eyes go beyond just focusing on his feet, letting the oh so far away ground come into focus, as much as it could get even with the vision he had. The more-than-human vision wasn’t always enough to compensate for the thousands of miles between him and the ground. However, he somehow managed to see. The people, the animals, _everything_ below him and everything that could happen.

Dave was one of the chosen ones, and even if some like him had fallen before, his status made it all more chilling when others found out he’d be falling. He knew a couple that had fallen, from the ordinary to the more powerful. No matter the level it was still a frightful thing, after all there was only one main angel everyone knew had fallen. It wasn’t exactly a pair of footsteps one would want to follow in any case.

He was an angel of time, given the task of monitoring it and everything related. Guiding how it moved and helping everything go smoothly as possible. Of course it was a collective task, such an important thing would never be trusted to a single angel. With everyone who could have qualified, he managed to work his way up to what could even be considered protector status.

Protector status was one of the highest tiers one could reach. While it was an important status, it never was the most important. In a social context, it wasn't much of a boost above anyone else; although, when it came to power, a protector would most definitely be placed higher that the average angle of the lord.

Never would he figure out why he didn’t go back in time to warn himself--perhaps because it’s because he knew it to be useless. The big guy knows everything; nothing that big would ever slip past Him. And even if there were a chance, Dave didn’t want to risk it.

He’d been doing such an innocent task, merely sitting up with his feet dangling in the open air. That, however, is when he found himself staring. As if something was wrong, as if he should be tense about something when there was really nothing to be tense about. Nothing to be tense about, _nothing to be tense about_ , he told himself repeatedly, eyes narrowed to the ground, searching.  
For a while he really had himself convinced that nothing would happen, as if he could just keep staring down at the ground without any concern. As if the mortals below would never be anything but ordinary. As if the world would always keep turning as it had.

Of course that's around when something had to catch his eye. A grey figure, far from human. The bright piercing eyes that met his from such a distance drew him in, stealing every single ounce of attention he had been using for anything else. All he could see were the eyes, the faint pink tint to the cheeks of the creature, the way its teeth poked ever so slightly over its bottom lip.

Dave swore to every last ounce of his being his heart skipped a beat, and at the time he would've even considered it fear. Later on, after seeing the figure again, and a third time, and even a _fourth_ , he realized just what he was doing. He was letting himself _love_ , letting himself fall in love a _demon_. Even after he figured this out, he didn't stop. Even if he could he didn't think he even… _wanted_ to.

Maybe it was some stupid act of love, abandoning his home for the sake of meeting a stranger he's merely exchanged glances with. After so long, it was no wonder he ended up falling. But it isn't like many _knew_ why he was falling in the first place.

It had seemed like so long ago, from then to the point he was finding himself in now. Crumbling into a mess of pain as a face he couldn't make out spoke to him. The faint noise of words was low, shaking but somehow calming, as if it's owner was trying to help. Dave knew it mattered what the other was saying, but he couldn't bring himself to enough focus to understand whoever was staying by his side.

All that registered was the _pain_ , the undeniable urge to scream and cry as if it would help the feeling of his wings breaking away fade faster. There was nothing he knew of that could help with that, not that he could think at the moment in any case. Dave, at least, had the comfort of shrinking in pain and leaning against the person next to him. There was some comfort in that, if anything. Not being completely alone, despite knowing exactly where he was--foul heat, cracked stone beneath him, and _oh_ , what awful sounds carried through these damning caverns-- made up for the amount of distress just being alone would've caused.

As for Karkat, well, he found himself cradling the fallen angel close to himself whenever the pain sounded bad. He had gained some composure, managing to start muttering softly to his new charge in vain attempts to soothe. _It would be okay, he wouldn't let anything happen to him, the pain would end soon._ It was a repetitive action at the most, perhaps more soothing to himself than the stranger half pulled into his lap, but he could at least hope it was helping somewhat.

Even so, Karkat ended up remaining as he was, holding the fallen angel until the once vibrant wings were long since charred out of existence, until the weakened figure finally let himself succumb to exhaustion.  
Now he'd just have to figure out how in the hell he'd be getting the guy back to his home, seeing as there was no way he'd simply leave him there to awaken alone in the darkness... He'd figure it out somehow, once the tears rolling down his cheeks faded at last. When the blur of the tears wasn't blocking his vision, _that's_ when he'd trust himself to try and take them both home.

For now, however, he would wait.

 

 


	2. Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> more pain and actual dialogue

There was no way Karkat could be sure how long he sat there, letting the soft, eerie sounds of the caverns engulf him as his focus flooded with nothing but the loud ringing noise of worry. The pounding sound of a headache rang throughout the back of his head, echoing through his ears. 

Dave had progressed from pained groans and clawing at his own skin to muffled whimpers, half into the floor. Cinders floated idly upwards, ignorant of his agony that produced their existence. His skin, once filled with the light of grace, was now the color of volcanic ash. It had spread from the burning chunks of his wings until it had consumed him, Karkat watching in horrified fascination as it spread from his back to his face and leaked into his eyes, bleeding them a harsh red that seemed to glow ethereal in the cavernous darkness. 

He kept fading in and out of consciousness, there but not completely there. The pain was excruciatingly difficult to stay awake for, feeling his own body morph into that of darkness after so many years of being a creature of light. There was a brief moment of calm, where everything faded. Every fiber of his being didn’t scream from the torturous feeling, and for a few seconds he was calm, he could allow himself to be such. However, the calm didn’t last long, a piercing headache shooting him out of the sleep that had already begun taking over his body.

At first, it was difficult to tell where it was coming from. He abandoned the idea of attempting before he could even make it out through the haze. Dark hands trailed up, shakingly, to grip at the once light blonde hair dusted with light that was now turned a dark, endless black. He gripped at the hair on the side of his head, letting out yet another pained noise that echoed through the silence behind Karkat’s gentle shushing. 

It was like being hit over the head with a nail-covered bat, one of the many comparisons that rushed through his mind at that moment. It wasn’t far from the actual feeling, he almost swore his very skull was being split open. He squeezed his hands around the handful of black hair, feeling that his nails had been replaced with sharp claws. Somehow, they didn’t even manage to pierce his skin. 

What seemed like minutes, even  _ hours  _ of the sheer feeling of fire spreading from the top of his head, it slowed. He didn’t care whether it was just ending or he was becoming tolerant to it. Either way, it seemed to  _ finally  _ have ceased. Dave let his body collapse into the hold of the other, shutting his eyes tightly, breathing in a deep sporadic pattern. Slowly, he managed to calm himself down, but he no longer felt the need to sleep. Everything was suddenly brighter than he remembered, his mind was too heavy with the realization of what just happened. 

Although, it did take him an extra minute to remember someone was  _ holding _ him. He could even hear the faintest sound of a heartbeat through the fabric the side of his face was buried in. Slowly, he forced himself up, pushing against the new weight added to the top of his head. In hindsight, immediately attempting to stand wasn’t his greatest idea. Luckily there was someone else there. Karkat, rushing out that Dave shouldn’t be standing before realizing he was already doing so, proceeding to stand with Dave to at least try to assist him in regaining his balance. 

Dave placed a hand lightly to his forehead, blinking his eyes open once more to the now blinding light of the darkness. When his vision finally focused, he was met with a familiar face, his expression scrunching up in recognition. 

“What,” he said, his vocal chords stinging from the harsh use in the past moments. “ _ Fuck  _ everything hurts…” His voice didn't sound too different from how it usually was, just quieter. Lined with exhaustion that would fade when he could get himself to successfully sleep.

          He let his eyes linger as the wavered in and out of focus, eventually landing on the face of the demon in front of him. Suddenly the recognition finally hit him at full force, his aching eyes opening wider. “It's… you?” 

Karkat felt his pattern of breathing falter, The angel knew him  _ why did he know him _ \--

“What,” Dave’s voice cracks, dry as sandpaper. He licks his lips nervously, and doesn’t miss how the other’s eyes flick to his mouth. “Is your  _ name _ ?”

Karkat froze for a second, looking back up to the tired, piercing red eyes above him. The eyes that were staring right back into his own. “I- I'm sorry,” he found himself saying. His look of concern and confusion, as well as his unexplained apologies, faded as he heard a light chuckle. Of all things in this situation, Dave was laughing, albeit weakly in some ways. 

“I don't want any apologies, I just want to know your name.” 

Karkat frowns. Opens his mouth to answer and then shuts it again, feeling vaguely self-conscious. He couldn't stop thinking. Why did the angel know him? Why did the angel fall? Why did he seem so damn calm when he was in such a situation-- there was a demon standing in front of him, a creature angels are found avoiding at all costs, and he was  _ laughing _ . The way everything felt like such a casual conversation was unnerving. 

Of course, Karkat had hoped to meet this angel, his Adonis, but this wasn't at all the way he expected it to go. Part of him didn't even want to risk meeting him, the thought of him falling because of another was just as upsetting as the thought of the angel falling because he loved Karkat back. Even though he knew better about the latter, he still imagined that it was more his fault than anything. 

Dave hums, lightly, to himself for a moment. “Would it be easier if I said my name first? It's Dave Strider. I mean I get this might seem weird, but it's probably appropriate to introduce yourself to the guy who,” he cuts off, making vague hand motions as he tried to pretend as if he didn't just catch himself from saying something he might regret. He continues, “Who just held me through however long that shit was. Maybe not, I could go if you don't want to deal with me, but I am afraid I have no clue where the hell I’m going.” 

Karkat’s mouth spasms, as if he’s trying very hard not to laugh. “That is exactly where you’re going.”

Dave’s eyebrows contorted so that one was raised and the other furrowed down, his mouth opening with his intent to ask a question. His thought process, however, cut him off, shutting him up before the question could leave him. A soft snort left him as his eyes drifted shut for a moment. “You know, if I made jokes like that all the time I'd probably been a hell of a lot cooler than I am now.”

Karkat took a deep breath and sighed, glad to see he wouldn't have to deal with his own laugh echoing throughout the cavern he and Dave stood in. “Here I was thinking you were  _ trying-- _ are you telling me you just make terrible jokes without even  _ thinking _ ?” 

Dave shrugged, the motion feeling oddly disjointed. As if something was missing, which something obviously was, but he wasn't thinking solely on that at the moment. “Guess I'm just that awesome.”

Karkat rolled his eyes, in an almost overjoyed way that hardly suited him at all. “Sure- what did you say your name was? Dave?”

“That's it, though, you never actually completed that exchange. Do I get the privilege of knowing your name or do I get to assign you some dumb nickname?” 

Karkat sighed, crossing his arms loosely over his chest. “Karkat. My name is Karkat. Now, and I don't mean to alarm you, but you seem like you're about to pass out ass backwards onto the floor. If you'd kindly follow me and let me assist you, I can get you somewhere where the falling ass backwards won't be  _ as _ bad.” 

Dave gave a tired laugh, the on-off exhaustion making its way to taking over again. Somehow he managed to nod without feeling the blood rush to his head. He didn't argue when Karkat’s hand wrapped gently around his arm. And when Karkat started walking, Dave simply moved his legs to follow suit. 

Everything felt  _ different _ . His head felt heavy, part of him was trying to convince itself that it was just a headache. Last Dave checked, headaches didn't give the feeling of weight. His back felt lighter as well, it ached and burned with the remaining pain of the prior events. his body felt heavy, and his eyes wouldn't focus in on the light that was far too  _ bright  _ for where he was. It was so  _ odd _ to just feel so damn dizzy when there wasn't any other feeling of passing out. His vision tilted, and he wasn't sure if it was just his head falling to the side or an effect of the dizziness. All he knew was he was off balance and it was annoyingly noticeable. 

Each time Karkat caught Dave stumbling over his own feet, even for a few seconds, his eyebrows furrowed. He knew something was wrong, something  _ had  _ to be wrong. He was short compared to the other, which didn't really help when it came to having to help stabilize one’s balance when walking, but the least he could do was keep a close eye on Dave’s movements. Maybe, that way, Karkat could do his best to help the other avoid falling. The last thing he wanted was his Adonis getting some bad head injury because he couldn't move fast enough to even remotely cushion a fall. 

Of course, Dave was trying his best. Although, as he walked, his head felt lighter and lighter. It was as if someone put rocks and weights in his body before telling his mind to fly as high as possible, leaving him lightheaded and floundering for balance as his head shifted with every step.

He doesn’t want to think about why.

At a particular misstep his hand flies up--for balance, perhaps--and his fingers knock against something decidedly  _ solid _ sticking out of his skull at odd angles and  _ oh _ , oh no. A shudder crawls down his frame as a shock makes the world tilt. Those are  _ horns _ , oh god. 

“Dave?” his new companion pauses, grip tightening when he stops short with a sharp gasp. 

“Ah, sorry, just...just a minute.” Dave pinches his eyes closed against his swirling view. The inside of his skull rattles with noise, making an oddly warped picture in his head. He grips the gnarled fabric of karkat’s clothes and realizes with an odd jolt that the noise makes more lines in his head. 

Huh. So  _ that’s  _ how they see in the dark. 

He was sure that earlier everything seemed too bright, especially for when he was. But now it was blinding, growing intensely aggravating by the minute. It had taken him a while to fully realize that his eyes had changed to hold the power of seeing in total darkness. 

Karkat raises a hand to his tilting shoulder to steady him, brows furrowed in concern. “We need to get you out of here. Can you still walk?” The idea of carrying the other seemed ridiculous, given that he was several feet taller than karkat himself, but he couldn’t stand the thought of leaving Dave where he was. Alone, in pain and horribly  _ vulnerable _ . 

The caverns were not a good place to be alone. 

“Let’s get going,” Karkat tries, gently tugging Dave into the proper direction. His eyes were still tightly closed, as if the world was too bright to bear. His feet felt glued to the floor. He imagined that, even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to move them.

Briefly aware of the increasing feeling of weariness, Dave tightened his grip on Karkat’s shoulder, holding on as if it would stop the banging sensation sending shockwaves through his head. All it took was a small mistake, one wrong step, for his feet to give out from under him. He had opened his eyes with the sudden motion, soon shutting them as the light feeling in his head took over. His expression softened, as if he were merely sleeping, his very composure itself falling into unconsciousness. 

He was out before he knew whether or not he actually hit the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM NOT SORRY   
> updates are officially every thursday now


	3. Balance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DONT KNOW WHATS GOING ON WITH THE CHAT LOG THING FORGIVE ME  
> EDIT I FIXED THE CHAT LOG

Karkat was barely able to move in time to catch Dave as he was falling. Even then, he only did enough to soften the fall. Demons were sturdy, sure, but it had been years since the last angel fell. There was no way to be sure Dave was completely transformed yet. Personally, Karkat didn’t want to take any chances.

The weight of Dave’s body brought Karkat down to his knees has he tried to hold the other up. He let out a small gasp of air, forced from his lung by the sheer amount of exertion he was putting into trying to keep Dave up, trying to keep his newly formed horns from hitting the rough ground of the caverns. He sat for a moment, eyebrows brought together in a stern look of worry; however, he soon found himself rising, slowly, keeping his eyes on Dave.

There’s no way he’d be able to _carry_ him anywhere, and it’s not like he even remotely wanted to drag an unconscious body of an unfamiliar face to his house. There would be far too many questions that he wouldn’t be able to answer in any way. He found himself placing his hands on his hips, looking around, analyzing his surroundings for some form of a solution.

His eyes landed on a wall nearby. Immediately, he was un-fond of the idea. If there was no other option, he supposed it would have to do for now. With a sigh, Karkat leaned down, sliding his arms underneath Dave’s. He may be heavy to lift, but picking him up a bit off the ground and dragging him to a wall mere feet away was a different story.

Karkat made sure that Dave was situated before carrying out the rest of his plan. The rest of his plan…. What was the rest of his plan anyway? He couldn’t carry Dave all the way to his home. There was no way in sanity that he would wait until Dave woke up. Of course, only one option amongst many seemed to stick with Karkat after his eliminations.

After fixing Dave’s head so it wasn’t hanging to the side in a visibly uncomfortable position, Karkat propped himself against the wall. For the moment, he dismissed his concern and worry for the other, deciding the best course of action was to try and find some way to get help.

From his pocket he drew a small, oddly shaped device. His own little handheld computer-- husktop-- which he turned on as soon as the chance met him. A few grumble-accompanied taps on the lowly lit screen resulted in a contact finally being opened. Somewhere else, another demon would be getting a soft ding over her own device.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] started trolling grimAuxiliatrix [GA]

GA: Why Hello Karkat, What Would Bring you To Messaging Me At Such An Odd Part Of The Night 

CG: ABOUT THAT

CG: IS THERE ANY CHANCE YOU COULD HELP ME CARRY A SEVEN FOOT TALL BODY BACK TO MY HOUSE?

CG: OR YOUR HOUSE. EITHER WOKS. 

GA: Who Did You Kill And Why 

CG: DAMMIT KANAYA HE’S UNCONSCIOUS NOT DEAD. WORK WITH ME HERE.

GA: You Know You Can Tell Me If Yo Killed Someone. I Will Not Judge You

GA: KANAYA I DID NOT JUST WITNESS SOME GLORIOUS FUCKING ADONIS FALL FROM THE DAMN SKY TO KILL HIM. GET YOUR HAPPY ASS OVER HERE AND HELP ME GET HIM INSIDE AN ACTUAL BUILDING. 

CG: I’M IN ONE OF THE NORTHWESTERN CAVERNS WITH HIM. YOU KNOW. THE ONE WITH THE ACTUAL HOLE THROUGH THE CEILING.

GA: Fine, But You Owe Me Exactly Two For This 

CG: WHAT THE FUCK? NO. THE SAYING ONLY SAYS I’D OWE YOU ONE.

GA: Do You Really Think I Would Carry An Unconscious Man All The Way To One Of Our Houses Without Getting Precisely Two Owes In Exchange 

CG: YOU KNOW WHAT, FINE, I DON’T CARE. JUST GET OVER HERE AND HELP ME. 

CG: COME ON MARYAM I KNOW YOU RUN FAST AS FUCK.

GA: Hence Why I Will Be There Soon, Have Patience Karkat 

GA: I Just Stepped Outside Of My Hive, Do Wait For Me Wherever You Are 

GA: I Shall Be There Soon Enough 

grimAuxiliatrix [GA] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] 

  
Karkat sighed as he watched the chat close, slipping his small device into a concealed pocket after the screen had gone dark. He let his head fall back, knocking lightly against the surface of the rocky wall. Slowly, he let his eyes close, breathing in and out. No matter how much he tried, his thoughts didn’t cease. Would Dave be okay? He definitely hoped so.

Once more, he exhaled, letting himself rest as he did so. After seconds felt as if they were burning into minutes, Karkat allowed his head to roll to the side, his eyes opening to look at the fallen angel sitting next to him.

If he hadn’t witnessed what he did mere minutes ago, Karkat would’ve sworn that Dave was only sleeping. His features looked much more peaceful than one would expect from someone who just went through such a highly painful transition. The way his eyes were closed, gently. How his recently Darkened hair still had its Graceful swoops, curving around the frame of his face in a haphazard mess. Though, Dave would most likely blame that on the fall. After all, he had fell back first from thousands of feet in the air.

If the situation was different, Karkat would have been a bit more focused on how charming the whole image was. He couldn’t help but stare. Truly, it was odd. Dave’s face still had this odd radiance too it. Even when corrupted with darkness, Karkat could see the alluring glow emanating from the other. It was subtle, definitely much weaker than what it had been, but if one looked close and focused on Dave’s face alone, it was barely visible. Like a magnificent glimmer that only appeared for a few seconds, if you blinked you would miss it.

Karkat didn’t want to miss any of it.

It wasn't until he heard footsteps that his half-lidded eyes opened, his gaze flicking away from Dave for the first time in who knows how long. The soft sound of the approaching Demon’s footsteps were as welcoming as they were chilling. Everything echoed through the cavern until it became a fading noise, dwindling slowly out of existence .

Karkat looked over to the source of the soft luminescence, sighing in a mix of relief and half-hearted annoyance. His palms felt frozen against the surface of the ground, the warmth of his body itself making contact with the cold surface. For a brief moment, he shivered, shaking it off as he shoved himself up.  
Even standing at full height, he still had to look up at Kanaya.

“Thanks for showing up,” he crossed his arms, sounding almost _genuinely_ thankful.

Kanaya’s lips, painted a deep jade green, stretched into a warm smile. She took a few steps forward towards Dave, taking a look at what she would be carrying in a few moments. “How could I have left you when you needed help Karkat? Besides,” she said, brushing off the front of her skirt when she folded her hands in front of her. She is entirely too smug when she says, looking at him through half-lidded eyes, “You owe me two now.”

Karkat rolled his eyes, lightly pinching the bridge of his nose. “ _Please_ , can we just get him to your hive or something? I know your place is closer to here than mine is.” He let his hand drop down as he looked back up at Kanaya, the look of question remaining on his features.

She gave a light chuckle, nodding as she brought herself down. The figure slumped up against the wall must have been nearly as tall as she herself was, which did give its own special form of difficulty when it came to picking him up. Despite this, she had him in a secure hold within a minute.

Karkat let out a small sigh of relief when he saw Dave was being picked up as carefully as Kanaya had carried him from the ground. Never would Karkat have been able to lift Dave even remotely as easily as Kanaya managed.

“So, Karkat, you did not exactly elaborate as to why this man supposedly--what was it?” She asked, starting to shift herself so that she could begin to walk, Karkat following soon after. She continued, “Didn't you say he fell from the sky?”

He sighed, crossing his arms as his eyes dropped to focus on his feet. One foot before the other, keeping up with Kanaya’s pace, he stared until he could find his words. “Yes Kanaya. He fell. I _watched_ him fall. Fuck-- it seemed so painful, the change.” His shoulders shook, a shiver crawling down his spine. “I could've sworn it was _killing_ him. I mean it's not like you want to know but I- I was genuinely worried. I'm _still_ worried damnit.”

She glanced over, elegant features morphing into gentle concern. Not only for Karkat, but for the stranger she was carrying as well. “Did you know him,” the question left before she had put any thought into it.

Karkat's features flooded with guilt, his breath hitching as he nodded. With a long sigh, he shut his eyes for a moment, only to force them open once more so he could continue walking without fear of falling. “I mean, not well, but I knew him. I-” he pauses for that moment, his jaw working without sound, moving up and down with no purpose other than stalling. Finally, his words came out, barely a whisper. “What if it was my fault?”

“It couldn't have been, I've never heard of an angel falling because a _demon_ loved them. Maybe he did something against God’s will, or maybe he was just tired of life beyond the golden gates,” She let out a short hum, scanning their surroundings. It was an obvious thing to hope they didn't get caught walking around by many. How would they explain such a thing? Two people walking, one looking somber and the other carrying an unconscious body.

Karkat's face said all that he didn't. He was searching for some way to say it was his fault, but even he couldn't find one. He hadn't seduced Dave into falling for him, and there was no other way it could have been his fault. All he had done was love an angel. However, that alone didn't stop him from dwelling over his distress.

Each time he so much as glanced over at Dave his heart skipped with worry. All he could manage to focus on were the small scrapes, faint scratches on Dave's face. On his legs, his arms, they were everywhere and Karkat was soon walking with his eyebrows furrowed into a constant state of worry. Seconds bled into minutes, the minutes into half an hour. All of just senseless walking, worrying as one of his best friends carried the fallen angel over her shoulder.

Once again he found himself completely unsure how long it had been. He wasn't too sure how, but they had finally reached Kanaya’s home. His legs moved as if they had their own mind, carrying him through the door after Kanaya. Standing in front of the couch as Dave's limp form was placed down carefully. It had probably only been minutes ago that he had lost his focus, only able to bring himself to sit down nearby, his focus never leaving Dave.

Kanaya walked over to be by Karkat, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. “I'm sure he'll be alright Karkat, do try to ease your worries if you can… Do not be afraid to tell me of any ways I could be of assistance with easing aforementioned worries.”

The light weight on his shoulder brought him into focus just in time to hear Kanaya speak, letting himself process what was being said. “I will, okay? I just don't want to lose him.”

“I get the feeling that it isn't so much how he is physically that is worrying you. Even from a close distance he seems very well for someone who fell from the heavens themselves.” She paused, kneeling down next to the chair, staring up at Karkat with an intuitive look in her eyes. “I think you're worried about _why_ he fell.”

Silence. Karkat's eyebrows drew together as he brought his knees up to his chest, tucking his feet by his side. It was obvious enough she was right. Karkat was even having a difficult time attempting to make up some excuse, some way to tell Kanaya that he wasn't worried about that at all. No matter how hard he thought, nothing came to mind.

“I cannot say everything will be in your favor, and for that I am sorry. However, I feel we have at least some chance that it will all be okay regardless. At least he's _alive_. He's even _breathing_ fine.” She gave a light smile, standing. “I feel it will be fine Karkat. I am sure of it.”

Dave woke up with something less than a start, simply a small whimper and a shift. His back still held the feeling of intense fire, forcing his eyes to scrunch shut as he attempted to sit up. His pain blinded his mind, but the familiar feeling of soft, warm hands helping him to sit up smoothly wasn't lost. It was strikingly familiar. He couldn't place why until he opened his eyes, coughing at his failed attempt of words.

“Oh, he's awake,” Kanaya said from the other side of the room, carrying over a small box of supplies that would be used to help dress Dave's wounds, as small as most were. There was at least one cut on his leg that most likely needed attention. _Just to be sure he doesn't get hurt any more than already_ , Karkat had explained when Kanaya questioned his request of getting a medical kit.

Dave was instantly grateful that the indoors seemed a lot less strikingly _bright_ than where he had been before. _Outside_ , he remembered, he had been...outside. As he rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand he winced, once more hit with a shock of pain that shot to the ends of his nerves, wracking his skull with a faint, endless ringing. At least he managed to get it to fade, simply closing his eyes and waiting for a few seconds in silence. Deep breath in, deep breath out. He opened his eyes again.

This time, it was different. He was met with the face of the demon that had held him not a few hours earlier. A weak look of stern impatience morphed into a wall surrounding the concern and worry in the demon’s eyes. The familiar features still welcomed him, bringing a weak smile to his face. “Nice to see you again Karkat.”

Dave’s eyes were more or less half lidded as he took a quick look around. It took mere seconds for the questions to begin to rush out of his mouth. Like an unstoppable force, it was as if he didn't know when to stop talking. Eventually Kanaya cut through the extensive versions of “who are you?” and “where am I?” with a deep sigh. She looked over at Karkat, raising an eyebrow once Dave finally trailed into a slightly awkward silence. “Really Karkat? _Him_.”

Karkat's face went bright red, his face holding an odd mix of embarrassment as well as what could only be described as the strain of someone trying desperately not to _yell_. It was almost like a sibling rivalry, Dave noticed absent-mindedly. He felt his heart ache, taking a deep breath once more as he shoved the feeling aside, focusing on Karkat's face.

“Kanaya, shut up, I swear to fuck-”

“You swear what Karkat? It's not like I truly said anything terribly revealing.” She shifted her weight to one leg, placing the box of medical supplies she had down on the low table she was standing by.

Dave chuckled, slowly moving himself to a better sitting position. Once he had a surface of support behind him, he let his head rest, leaned against the cushion behind him. “Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are doing a pretty bad job at keeping whatever's going on from me. Like, the next step is telling the whole master plan, so let's hear it.”

Kanaya gave something close to a scoff, though it was joking more than it was pretentious. “Well, sir, pointing out the release of the topic only proves futile. I will no longer be speaking of it.”

Once more avoiding a feeling of distress, Dave looked away from Kanaya as she reached into the medical kit. It wasn't exactly a nice sight, being an angel-- fallen or not-- to see a demon he didn't know beyond a name and complex words reaching into a box full of medical supplies. Thankfully he managed to ease his nerves, _somewhat_ , at least. Kanaya was going to help, wouldn't she? Maybe Karkat would help him if anything started to happen. _Hopefully_ , Dave corrected himself. Hopefully Karkat would help.

Dave wasn't even sure why they needed a medical kit. He was fine--sure, his back hurt and his head pounded, his but he was fine by his standards. Scraped knees and irritated palms were nearly nothing to him. It ached, _of course it did_ , but he was never one to complain about pain of all things. As he felt the substance Kanaya had taken out rub over his back, his hands, his knees, he felt everything start to fade. It couldn't have been normal burn cream or whatever, it worked too fast and too well for such a thing.

He hadn't noticed how much pain was actually there until it was gone.

He didn't get time to say thank you before Kanaya had announced another brief absence--to go find clothes for Dave, she had said, voice amused. He'd be needing some, no point to leave her stock of extra clothes bereft. He didn't get much time to think of what he was doing before he found himself looking at Karkat.

Karkat, who was still sitting nearby, utterly _silent_ in his worries.

Down the hallway a door clicked shut, but the rest of the home was silent.

Dave realized he wasn't sure what to actually say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H ONE STLY SORRY FOR POSTING SO LATE


	4. Fairytales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT IM SORRY IM POSTING THIS SO LATE

Luckily for Dave, Karkat seemed to have a good amount of stuff he wanted to talk about. Maybe he was just keeping the floodgates closed until now, until they were alone. It was just him and Karkat, two sets of burning red eyes locked together. Finally, once more, _alone._

Karkat still took a moment to start talking, despite how active his mind was. Of everything he wanted to say, he knew he had to pick only a few things. It would be best that he didn't overload Dave with questions when he still wasn't completely recovered. Shifting himself to sit differently, yet still keeping eye contact, he said, “How are you feeling..?”

Dave blinked slowly, his mouth feeling suddenly dry. The moment seemed to last forever; the odd feeling of tension floating through the air, weaving itself between the two until Dave swore he felt the air grow hotter than it already was. “I'm feeling better, uh.. thanks, by the way. Never thought I'd fall right into someone else’s path.. Or that I'd fall in the first place..” His eyebrows furrowed, eyes finally breaking from the chained hold, falling to look at the floor.

Karkat nodded, folding his arms over the seat of the couch, resting his chin on top of his arms. “That's good. Well uh, not you falling. I mean, It's good you're feeling _better_. I'm sorry about the...the falling thing.”

Dave huffed, the soft, short puff of air blown through his nose laced with some form of hollow amusement. His eyes slowly drifted shut as he leaned back onto the couch. “You don't have to be sorry. it wasn't your fault. I… let myself get caught up in a big glorious mess. _Plus_ , I've never talked to you before now. There's no way you should feel at blame.” Maybe he was over-thinking, or maybe it was because of the small traces of guilt in Karkat's eyes. Either way, Dave wanted to do whatever he could think of to help assure Karkat he shouldn’t feel bad about this.

Even if he was just feeling bad for _Dave_.

Despite his stubborn demeanor that usually arose in these types of situations, Karkat found himself agreeing. Maybe it really _wasn’t_ his fault. Perhaps Dave was right. He couldn't help but let himself linger on the thought, _it wasn’t his fault._

Dave gives a soft smile, eyes opening once more, already focused on Karkat when they opened. “Besides, it doesn't seem _too_ bad down here. I’m sure I'm gonna end up running across a bag of pure dicks at some point, but you seem-- you and Kanaya seem pretty cool so far. Normally you'd imagine any angel in my position would be flipping all shit, but here I am. Like I'm talking to a well-known friend.”

With all of the questions Karkat had, he seemed to only be forming more. Why did Dave stutter? On that note, why did Dave actually trust Karkat so much?.. It definitely seemed like Dave almost didn't care that he was here as if he _wanted_ to be here. Why would any _sane_ angel _want_ to be in hell of all places, with strange demons of all things? Unless… Dave wanted to be with the demons he was with. Or at least with only one of them.

Karkat's mind began to race. Dave seemed so friendly after going through a terrible experience, standing next to a stranger. If Dave hadn't already known or thought of Karkat, then why would he have been so calm? The normal stories he had been told of fallen angels awakening next to demons always ended in someone having a broken or bloody nose. Sometimes, the stories would say, the fallen never seemed to appear much often after that. It all depends on why they fell.

Karkat remembered the story-- or more rumors-- of Xelena and Lucy. It had to have been a few years ago, maybe three at the least. The first angel in centuries had fallen, not very far from the town he remembered. Her name, though no one could be sure, was Lucy. The one who had happened upon her after she fell, cold and alone, would be Xelena. Of course, Karkat didn't know the whole situation, but he remembered that the two had found to have a mutual feeling. Lucy had fallen for Xelena, who had taken in Lucy to help her. Lucy had never seemed scared of Xelena. It was one of the main giveaways of why she fell.

Karkat seemed to freeze. “Dave… Why did you fall?” His voice was quiet, barely audible in the deafening silence of the room. “You don't have to answer,” he added quickly, not wanting to press any boundaries.

Then, it was Dave’s turn to freeze, trying to think of any excuse that could make sense. Maybe he could get away with simply saying he went against His will. All he could do was sit there, silent, to the point it almost seemed like he was stalling. Technically he was stalling. As much as he knew he needing to say something, _anything,_ Dave couldn't bring himself to think of lying to Karkat.

Eventually, he let out what was simply a sigh. “Got myself infatuated with one hell of a guy. Simply paid the price.” Soon after he stopped talking came a short-lived shrug and a hollow chuckle. He didn't want to seem to look anywhere but down.

Karkat placed his hand on Dave's arm lightly, still looking at him. “Do you want to say who it was?”

Dave's eyes quickly flicked over to Karkat, if Karkat had blinked he would've missed the split second Dave spent looking at him. His light hold on Dave's arm tightened, only slightly, barely enough to be noticeable. “Was this,” Karkat began, staring. “Is that why you were so quick to warm up to me..?”

Once more, Dave's eyes flicked over to change their gaze, landing on Karkat. He bit his bottom lip, glancing away at moments. He felt too vulnerable, like he was out in the open with more than just a single person surrounding him. Thousands of eyes, crushing him down, making him swallow dryly. He couldn't make eye contact anymore.

He moved to sit up more. “I can go- if you don't want me here. I mean you've been more than wonderful to some random bag of melting feathers that plopped down into hell, but I think I can guess how fucking awkward it would be to have me around. So I'll just-” As soon as the words had left his mouth, a hand was pressing him back, slowly leading him to lay back down.

“Don't leave, it's actually a relief. Trust me,” Karkat wore a look that seemed tired, happy. At the same time, however, it was nowhere near tired. The only word Dave could place to it at the time was what Karkat mentioned himself; relief.

Dave found himself looking surprised of all things, his furrowed eyebrows relaxing as his out bits of relief faded into the place of the escaping nervousness. “Wait, what? Am- no seriously wait did I hear you right?”

Karkat gave a half-assed eye roll, shoving Dave so lightly that there was no way he even budged. Shifting up to sit by Dave, Karkat gave a nod. “Yes dumbass, unless you're more of an idiot than I assumed and we somehow aren't on the same page.”

A smirked formed on Dave's face as he scooted himself closer to Karkat, his cheeks tinted a faint red as he looked directly into Karkat's eyes. To somewhat of his surprise, Karkat was looking back, his gaze intense. Dave didn't notice he was about to speak before he heard a whisper of a sentence.

“ _Do you love me_?” Karkat said, voice soft.

Dave simply smiled, taking Karkat's chin into his hand. “Yes, more than anything.” He caught a glimpse of Karkat smiling, and he mirrored the expression.

Slowly, gently, Dave leaned forward, pressing his lips gently to Karkat's. He could feel the soft curve of the other’s lips with his smile, part of him wondered if Karkat could feel the same. A larger part of him wondered if Karkat was experiencing the same fluttery feeling deep in his stomach as if at any moment he swore he might burst into a fit of unexplained, joyous laughter.

Dave couldn't say he'd ever felt anything close to this. As if nothing in the world mattered. He swore he could stare into Karkat’s eyes for hours if it were possible; the old him would have made millions of jokes about how short of a time it took for him to become a sap. And maybe he was exaggerating, but it didn't stop him from smiling softly as he held Karkat’s gaze.

Unfortunately, all it took to break it was an abrupt voice sounding from across the house. Dave and Karkat's eyes flicked over to the sound of Kanaya’s words, calling out something about finding extra things for Dave.

Karkat’s face was still red, and Dave’s eyes still wide. His mouth curled higher into a fond smile Dave thought that almost nothing could ruin this moment. Nothing could ruin this feeling of sheer content happiness.

Of course, Kanaya probably would never have said anything of the sort, at least never intentionally.

However, with a confused face, her voice sounded once more. This time closer than from across the house. Eyes flicking between Dave and Karkat, she tilted her head. “Did I miss anything?”


	5. A Few Adjustments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM HELLA LATE HELLO

Karkat, knowing full well that Kanaya could peer through any act he put up and tunnel her way straight to the bullshit he was hiding, shook his head. “No, you haven't missed too much. I was about to ask Dave if he wanted to stay with me at my hive.” Karkat gave a small smile when he faced Dave's direction, planning to tell Kanaya what he needed to later. It would be a lot less awkward for him to do so without so many people being in the room. 

Dave didn't need too much time to think about his answer before nodding, even letting his features stay as they were. A light smile of content happiness, one that was easily reflecting how sleepy he still was. “Don't think it'd be smart to turn you down man, no one else down here would probably even try to deal with my magnificent ass.”

Dropping a bag near the closest chair, Kanaya put her free hand on her hip. “I see you two are getting along. I do not disagree with this moving in, but you two both need your rest before you leave on your way. Karkat's hive is a bit far away, we need to make sure you won't pass out on the way over.” 

After a moment of consideration accompanied by looking at the plain fact he felt exhausted, Dave decided that staying at Kanaya’s for the night- or the day he supposed- would be a good idea. Not taking long to get himself in the mood to sleep, Dave ended up passing out within three minutes. The last thing he remembered seeing was Karkat’s expression, soft and exhausted from worry. He fell asleep to the image of Karkat curled up on a nearby couch, similar to the one Dave has been on. 

As exhausted as he was, Dave didn't seem to sleep as well as he could have. Maybe it was being in a new environment, or maybe it was the leftover nerves of the situation itself. Nonetheless, he slept, no matter how the sleep itself left him feeling when he woke up. 

One thing that he noticed upon awakening was that this was, in fact, not a dream. Not some sort of messed up nightmare brought to his mind by whatever means. He wasn't sure if this was a good or a bad thing.  _ At least I'm not crazy,  _ he found himself thinking, shoving himself up as he let his eyes wander. Tracing Karkat's form became a mindless action soon enough, simply looking at the small demon curled up on the couch was a calming act. 

He didn't question why-- he didn't see why he should question such a thing. Dave was happy enough anyway, letting Karkat be the one to make him smile. Even then, as sweet and sappy as he may have sounded to himself, a majority of his thought process was simply calling the cute boy on the couch the biggest god damn nerd he's ever met- and this is being the guy who knows John Egbert himself…. Dave supposed he should keep his mind off of his friends before that became a bigger problem. 

Seconds faded into minutes, Dave getting up and walking around to make sure he still had any sense of balance, generally moving around. When Karkat stirred awake, Dave had been drumming his fingers on his legs, walking by the couch. Hearing a little grunt, Dave walked backward, leaning himself over the back of the couch to look at Karkat. “Morning, or uh, afternoon? The fuck is the time schedule down here dude?”

Karkat jumped for a moment before realizing it was Dave. As soon as he had calmed down into an eye roll and a sigh, Karkat was up and about. Looking around proved that Kanaya must have taken the extra clothes to Karkat’s hive as the two boys had slept. It would make sense, but he'd definitely have to talk to her about it later. 

“Earth’s day is when we sleep, night is when we stay awake. The light outside during that time shines at full force and is too much for some demons. Of course most can adjust their eyes,” Karkat seemed to be explaining with his hands more than his words, Dave couldn't help but stare at Karkat's sharp motions as he kept explaining, “There are kids here and their eyes don’t easily to adjust at will yet, so they can't really function in full light due to that shit  _ hurting like a motherfucker _ . In short, we’re a nocturnal species. Luckily your ass won't have jet lag or whatever the fuck you want to call it falling from the damn clouds.”

Dave continued to stare, watching the little almost-offended expression creep over Karkat's face. Karkat himself was simply wondering why Dave was looking at him like that, part of him wondering if more explaining was in order. 

Of course, that's when Dave had to chose to finally speak. “You looked like a flailing mess, I have  _ never  _ seen anyone be  _ that _ expressive when they're talking.”

Karkat groaned, moving to grab Dave's hand and start tugging him out of the house. “I see you're feeling better, now let's go to my place. I'm pretty sure Kanaya took all the extra shit she found for you over there.”

Dave, walking along in short steps to make up for his height compared to Karkat, lets out a half-assed sigh. He supposed he had to get up and follow his grumpy little companion. What should he call Karkat, Dave wondered. It was a bit of a complex question to Dave. Were they dating? They had kissed, of course they had, and they even exchanged some form of an “I love you”. Did that automatically mean they were dating? Maybe it was just Dave being his own yarn ball of anxiety self. 

He’d have to try and ask Karkat later. 

As they stepped out, Dave was once more met with the bright- almost  _ too _ bright- outside atmosphere. Hell’s landscape was actually fascinating, now that he thought about it. The roof of the large cavern he was in seemed oddly bright, for being in a literal giant cave that is. He supposed they had some form of sunlight down here unless there were literal holes to hell scattered around the world. 

Karkat had said something about the night day schedule, but- in all honesty- Dave wasn’t paying nearly as much attention as he probably should have been. All he could recall was something about night vision, whatever was actually said. 

Not his fault he didn’t pay too much attention… okay, well,  _ maybe _ it was his fault, but just a little bit. Dave never was the most focused individual.

As they continued to walk, Dave noticed the other buildings that surrounded the twisting paths Karkat tugged him down. For a place that was made out to be a literal nightmare, Dave found it quite... _ welcoming _ . There were shops and stores with business owners greeting passing people, houses of all different shapes and sizes, plants growing in the oddly textured ground, couples sitting around, there were  _ kids _ running around with glee and laughter echoing around them. 

None of it seemed anywhere near what Dave had assumed it would have been. Then again, he supposed when one was in complete darkness, it was easy to mistake the noises that carried through the damning caverns… Of course, there were bound to be genuinely haunting things down here, but Dave didn’t want to be the one to linger on that just yet. For now, everything seemed alright. Unfamiliar, sure, but alright nonetheless.

When Karkat’s determined tugging slowed, Dave figured the odd shape before himself was Karkat’s house. It was actually kind of remarkable how similar this underworld of the damned was to the human world. It was a bit more warped, but  _ fuck _ if it wasn’t close. 

At least it was much more interesting than the endless clouds and bright white and gold, littered across the scape of heaven. Plus, here there was  _ grass _ , one of the most captivating things Dave had observed in the world below him. 

Karkat grumbled as the door put up resistance to opening, sighing when it finally opened. Dave could only manage a small smile, following into the house whenever he could. 

The place wasn’t too messy, a few scattered DVD cases and some haphazardly placed blankets. Once more, Dave found himself feeling secure in an all-new atmosphere; however, odd as it was, he still  _ refused _ to question why. 

“Nice place you have here,” Dave said, scooping up one of the multiple DVD cases, holding it up lazily. “Movie fan?”

“Well, that’s  _ one _ way to put it, congratulations on your wonderful observation.” 

Dave raised one eyebrow, placing the case down and inching his way over to Karkat. He finally reached him, noticing how Karkat’s expression softened when he began to speak, teasing, “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the couch.” The words were quiet, almost cautious, but Dave felt a flicker of accomplishment when it seemed to make Karkat laugh, even a little. 

“Shut up you big asshat,” Karkat said, somehow making it sound like a pleasant greeting.

Dave snorted, wrapping his arms around Karkat and pulling him to lay on a nearby couch with him. Well, it was more like Dave fell backward blindly just because he saw a couch and brought Karkat down with him. Karkat had made this little odd noise he had never heard from any human, and-- oddly enough-- Dave found it cute. 

Soon they found themselves resting on the couch, Karkat in Dave’s arms, a soft smile in Dave’s expression. Of course, the silence didn’t take long to be broken, fragile as it was. 

“Dave?” Karkat spoke in a light mumble, his words dancing around in the air like feathers, dangling,  _ inches _ away from being blown away by anything close to a breeze. With Dave merely humming in response, Karkat continued, “what is this, what are  _ we _ ..?”

Dave wasn’t sure whether or not he was relieved by Karkat having the same concerns as himself. Unsure once more, this time of what to say, he forced himself to respond with something- anything. “Well, I love you, you loved me, we kissed, and I basically gave up all I knew to come down here with you. If you don’t want to call it some form of dating, then we won’t, but that’s probably what it is.  _ Dating _ .” The word seemed to be the only thing sticking in Dave’s mind.  _ Dating _ . He was really  _ dating _ someone, someone he had been interested in for such a while. 

He couldn’t be sure, but he imagined Karkat’s expression meant something along the lines of how Dave thought of the situation. Dave’s suspicions were confirmed when Karkat smiled, tilting his face down and resting his cheek on Dave’s chest, mumbling out the word again. 

“Yeah,  _ dating _ .” His gaze flipped, merely looking up at Dave from where he was, smiling a little bit more. “Sounds good to me.”


	6. Effects Of Cabin Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS IS LATE AGAIN AAAAAAAA 
> 
> okay so, basically school happened, and then surgery happened, and while i was in recovery i was asleep for 75% of the day so i did n o t have time to write and holy crap please forgive me

“Karkat,” he says, drawing out the second ‘a’ as he threw his head back a bit, the whining sound of Dave’s boredom effectively carrying through the house with volume. Sure, Karkat was literally sitting on the other side of the couch, and Dave didn’t  _ have _ to express his distress so blatantly, but... 

 

Karkat himself gave a sigh, pulling himself from his book to look over at his oh-so-dear partner. “What could possibly be causing you  _ this _ much distress? Go ahead, tell me your dumb little reasons.”

 

It had been three days since Dave had dropped from the sky, and quite frankly he didn’t care how much recovery Karkat claimed he may need, Dave was bored and ready to summersault out of the door if he had no other choice. “When are we going to be going out at some point, inside gets  _ boring _ , as much as I love the endless movie cases I can’t read. Plus I feel  _ fine _ . Like I could do a quadruple cannonball into any pool right now without breaking a sweat. Don’t make me bring out the pleading either, I'll do it,  _ watch me _ .” 

 

With a half-assed eye roll, Karkat shut his book, already standing up. “I’ll have to teach you to read in  _ hell runes _ . And if you’re going to be  _ that _ pestering about it, then  _ fine _ . Kanaya has been yelling at me to go out and get some new shit for the nutrientblock anyway.”

 

Karkat wouldn’t have even been done with his second sentence by the time Dave was standing alert, almost like a hyperactive child. Except somewhat more composed and borderline seven feet tall. 

 

At this, Karkat sighed, almost inclined to place his entire forehead into the palm of his hand. “I’m dating a giant loser.”

 

Dave began nodding and moving to grab Karkat’s hands, dragging him closer towards the door with each sentence. “I am the coolest motherfucker you’ve ever laid your eyes upon and you know I am, so quit sighing and lead the way outside.”

 

Since he spent a majority of his time inside, Karkat wasn’t exactly sure of where to take Dave in the first place. However, he did have enough of a brain to pull his arm away from Dave’s grasp, walking himself to the door while gesturing for him to follow. 

 

_ Maybe he’d like that dumb candy shop, _ Karkat thought, pulling Dave outside so he could lock up his house sooner.  _ Or maybe I should stop fucking talking to myself and just take him to walk through town.  _ At least that seemed like a better idea.

 

Karkat didn’t live very far from the little town of shops, as it is where he has to pass through to get to and from Kanaya’s house anyway. It was a disorganized place, in the sense that there was no order to the buildings. Structures were, more often than not, at least two stories, with either a store and a home, two homes, or two stores, sharing one building. None of these combinations ever seemed to match exactly, Kanaya always pointed that out on pre-dawn strolls.  

 

One floor would be a dark gray, the other floor sporting some sort of a darkish green. Karkat never seemed to mind it, but he could understand the frustration of the disorganization. At least he had enough sense to keep his house orderly. Then again, his house wasn’t exactly a house from the small town. 

 

Karkat, used to this, passed by everything as he would on a normal day. Dave, however, was dragging him behind a little bit. He wanted to see every single sight, wanted to stop at every single store, bugging Karkat to stop for just a moment. He never wanted to stop by any of the places that Karkat needed to go, unfortunately. 

 

It took a while for all the errands to be done, Karkat not too fond of having to now carry around bags while managing to follow after Dave. He seemed to just be bounding down the walkway, managing to get Karkat lost in a place he thought he knew by heart. 

 

It wasn't until Dave quite literally ran into someone that Karkat wiped off his expression of exhaustion. “Dave, you fucking bumbling dork,” he sighed out. Moving to place down his bag and help the fallen figure get back up.

 

Dave shoved himself up with a sigh, looking over at Karkat. “Really, help up the stranger, and not me, your…. your… mate.. thingy.” 

 

Karkat rolled his eyes. “Oh wow, nice move there Strider. Even I have enough decency to pick up someone I flopped my humongous ass on top of while running around like an idiotic barkbeast.”

 

“Never mind, never mind,” he sighed. “I'm sorry and all that, just trying to be humorous in these dark events.”

 

Dave joined Karkat in helping up the figure who had fallen, stepping back once they were standing. He coughed, placing his hands on his waist. “So, who are you?”

 

Suddenly, the two boys were met with a small, blushing mess of a troll. “Oh, um, hello. My name is Rhetea, don't worry about the run in by the way. It's alright. Are you okay, sir?”

 

“Call me Dave, and we are completely fine. Still sorry I ran into you, kinda new down here.”

 

Karkat sighs for the umpteenth time, crossing his arms. “Excited fucko over here got us lost, would you happen to know any quick, preferably short, way back to the main town square?”

 

Rhetea tapped her chin, shoving a messy curl of hair out of her eyes as she thought. “Well, I'm not very good with instructions, but I can lead you as far as the library. I was on my way to work, you see.” A sheepish smile spread on her face, her hands clasping in front of her as she looked over at Karkat. “I'll have you back to town within minutes, don't worry!”

 

Nodding and grabbing Dave's hand to drag him along, Karkat let his expression relax. “Thank you, Rhetea. We aren't in any hurry. Oh, I apologize in advance for any idiocracy that might leave him in the next few minutes.”

 

“Rude…” Dave huffed, furrowing his eyebrows. “I'm not that annoying.” Despite this, merely five minutes into the walk Dave was complaining about something. 

 

“I genuinely thought it'd be darker down here, I mean seriously. Everyone upstairs is always like ‘yo it's dark as fuck down there’ but I don't get that. My eyes have not stopped burning since I got here and I'm starting to think the arrival of the eye relief train has been delayed years ago. Like really-”

 

“Dave, shut up, I may be used to this but I'm pretty sure strangers don't want to hear about your eye struggles.” Karkat didn't mind the rambles, they were interesting for lack of better words. Plus, Karkat supposed that it may be a problem if Dave’s newfound night vision wasn't working properly.

 

As if knowing his thoughts, the small voice of Rhetea piped in, calling eyes in the nearby area to turn to her. “Maybe your eyes are overly sensitive. It's not very common, but it could be the issue.”

 

Dave made a face, furrowing his eyebrows together. “That- well, yeah that could be what's going on. Light always bother me, but never this much. Especially when it's supposed to be darker than usual.”

 

“Don't worry,” she smiled, pulling herself over to the library door. “There's a glasses shop just down the sidewalk, look for the building with red dots on it.” Just like that, she waved and pulled herself into the shop, bidding Karkat and Dave farewell. 

 

“Red dots?” Dave asked, gazing off into the distance, squinting when he was met with some ethereal streetlight of sorts. “I think I can see it over there, so whenever you're ready Karks.”

 

Taking Dave’s hand once more, Karkat started walking in the direction of the building. “Let's get this over with.” 


	7. The Second Fallen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I AINT DEAD YET

Letting a sigh escape his lips, ones which had produced many sighs before then, Karkat pinched the bridge of his nose. What had brought him to this place? Watching a fallen angel bound around in the streets of hell as if he lived here his entire life. Was he not used to clouds and light compared to darkness and stone?

Nonetheless, Dave seemed keen to be here. Be it his newfound glasses, his accepted love, or whatever be so. He was happy. The sight aggravated Karkat as much as it filled him with affectionate feelings, the likes of which he was far too unfamiliar with- especially in such a close setting.

His love had always been so far, close enough to see, to imagine the touch, but never close enough to feel. Never had he thought he would be walking alongside the figure, although then again that thought never exactly passed either of the two. In fact, Karkat himself was quick to give up hope until he had witnessed the very change of who he longed to see as his own, as selfish as the thought was. Not but a day or so past that moment and the young demon had gone through so much with the very person he figured he would never see.

Just minutes ago he had sat with Dave as he got new glasses to help with his eyes. And now, he watches the very same man stare and gawk at flowers in windows as if he had never seen them before. Then again, who is to say that he hasn’t? Blinding light had set place in his eyes since his transformation, it must have done something to his eyesight after all.

“Dave,” Karkat called, hoping for the attention. Seconds and seconds past as he swore they bled into minutes and he called again. “Dave!” This time, a response.

With a sharp turned that threatened to knock off his new glasses, Dave spoke, “Yes? You’re kinda killing my flower gazing vibe over here.”

“That is exactly my point, we have to get moving. Kanaya wants me to come over to help her with something and I have to get you home before you hurt yourself.”

Dave groaned in his distress, mumbling something else about flowers as he turned fully to turn Karkat. “Fiiiiiinnneee,” he droned, earning yet another annoyed gesture from Karkat. At least he seemed a bit happy that Dave is cooperating somewhat with him.

Of course, there was a very big catch that Karkat was nowhere near aware of. Dave wasn’t a tamed soul, and definitely not a cooperative one either. As they headed home he hatched a small plan, not as if it was entirely hard to figure out how to do everything in such a time.

Minutes after they were home, Karkat left the house. Minutes after Karkat left, Dave followed.

Miles away at the least, Kanaya Maryam stood over an unconscious body, lying underneath one of the largest holes in the ceiling. Well, the largest Kanaya had ever seen with her own eyes. Before long she had started checking the body for any wounds that would need to be treated, even if she was quite hesitant to move the figure around too much.

Demons of her class have standards, and not messing with unconscious bodies is one of them. After all, there’s laws placed about stuff, just as there is anywhere. Kanaya did not want to have to face whatever came with the chance of being seen with yet another unconscious body. It’d be twice in a same week for hell’s sake!

As she tried to make sure the dark scrape on the right arm of the fallen one wasn't an injury, she thought of what was happening- she thought about what this means. Thoughts continued to build up, higher and higher. Eventually she came to a realization. Two fallen angels in a time span under a week, after near centuries without any sight of a fallen whatsoever… it took a bit to compose herself, she had to focus on the task at hand.

What could this mean, she still wondered, rubbing off what actually was just a simple smudge of dirt. Two fallen, _two fallen_ … it’s hard to ignore something like this. Kanaya normally didn't fret unless someone she knew and cared for directly was in trouble, but this situation was an exception. For all she knew this could ultimately mean destructions. Ideas of war up above raced through her head. All sense of rationality was gone in that small section of her brain, the majority functioning to help the task at hand.

As soon as she made sure she would not be hurting the fallen, she picked them up bridal style. It was one of the only ways she could think to do so, it seemed the most careful anyways. At least she wasn’t letting thoughts of anxiety and bad outcomes get to her head. She just had to make it back to her living quarters, that’s all. It seemed so simple…

Kanaya’s home wasn’t very far from here, and it wasn’t a very busy day. For a moment she contemplated using her speed to get home faster, but it seemed foolish. What if the newly turned skin was still fragile or sore? She had a sneaking suspicion as to _why_ she was so worried over who seemed to be a stranger; despite how how she hoped it was not true.

Weeks ago, maybe even months, Kanaya was walking. Nothing much to it, visiting the human world, just walking. It was quite refreshing to return there by her own choice, to see all of the odd trees and odd practices that existed in this place. How odd their holidays were and how oddly they celebrated, how blissfully unaware they were of what was going on down beneath and above them.

She loved to walk through mall strips, examining fashion as it evolved. She loved to lay around, disguised as she could be, staring at the sky. It was forbidden for an angel to dream of somewhere below their home, but Kanaya was not limited. The most that demons were limited to was to not get caught, and most of the time it was a personal preference. After all, who wants to get caught by humans?

Nevermind the risk, she had this down. Besides, there’s no way she’d be getting caught unless she was being tracked. She wasn’t one who thirsted for danger. She longed to find new ideas, to see new things. Home sweet hell got a bit tiring, there was no color. Up here, however, was beautiful. The sun’s rays bounced off of items, soaking into others. If she must spend an eternity in the human realm, she would not mind. Everything others walked past was fascinating. Buildings, dresses, everything. She could just sit in the bristling cold air, holding her arms to her body as the sky morphed into an array of colors she could never capture, and she would be fine. Her favorite thing, above all, was the stars.

The grass was never that comfortable, but neither was stone, so it would have to do. There was no where else she really cared to lay while doing what humans called “star gazing”. This area was far too special, perfectly desolate and perfectly open. It was as if it were designed for watching the sky, letting her point out all of the constellations she could name. It was the years of this that let her recognize one star appear, then disappear suddenly. It took her a minute to realize it quite possibly was not a star.

Stars were much farther away, and stars did not peak over the lowest layers of clouds. Stars did not make her heart race with feelings unknown. Most importantly, stars have never held a feeling of such familiarity.

Kanaya did not stop thinking of the star, the “lady of light” as she came to call the figure. Each day she would go to that same area, the lady would peek over once more. Every time she saw the figure she swore the details of appearance became more and more easy to see, as if the clouds were dropping lower and lower to the ground.

One day she met the Lady of Light in a store,at least she was so very sure it was her. Her hair was a beautiful shade of blonde that Kanaya only saw on angels, not to be compared to humans. Besides that, Kanaya could see her eyes, a striking color called violet, but brighter than the violet the underworld knew. They didn’t talk, but they exchanged a look with one another. It was easy to say upon that day Kanaya knew she’d see this person again.

The memory of every encounter echoed in her mind as she placed the newest fallen onto her couch, brushing the dirt off of their face, brushing their hair from their eyes. It was odd to see the figure so close, but how could she fail to recognize these features? Colors were different, sure, but this was no doubt the face of the woman she me in that store. Of course she could be mistaken, couldn’t she?

Kanaya hummed to herself as she stood, walking in the direction of her storage closet. She had to have a first aid kit somewhere, and she needed to find it just in case she was wrong about the damage caused. Maybe she should just keep an eye on the fallen- that seemed like a better idea than standing in front of the closet with only the intention of staring at the first aid kit, letting herself overthink the situation.

“Calm yourself Maryam,” she whispered, breaking the deafening silence of the house. _How can I stay calm_ , she thought, _there has to be a reason this is happening_. Interrupted by a knock at the door, she forces her thoughts aside. Only a few strides and she reached the handle, pulling the door open to be met with the face of a friend.

“Hello Karkat, thank you for coming over on such short notice.”

He sighs, pressing his hands to his temples. “It’s fine Kanaya, just tell me why I’m here- more importantly why a fucking random demon is lying unconscious on your couch.” Karkat moved past Kanaya, stretching his neck to get a better look at the woman on the couch. She seemed to be glowing, just like… no. “Please don’t tell me this is another Fallen.”

Kanaya’s hesitance to turn from closing the door gave any answer he needed. Sitting on the nearby couch, Karkat groaned and mumbled under his breath. Across the room, Kanaya’s eyes locked onto something. Slowly, he followed her gaze, only to be met with a set of burning violet irises.

“Oh great. She’s awake,” he called, leaning back into the chair. “Welcome to the underworld, hope you enjoy the weather.” 


	8. Not a chapter, just a question

Anyone who still follows this, im not sure if I should keep following through. Please help me decide, if people want more chapters I’ll start writing for it again, if not, I think I may find other projects.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to check out http://the-space-case.tumblr.com !!! And direct all your questions to me at http://tautochrying.tumblr.com


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